Valentine's Day welcome for troops

Thursday

Feb 14, 2013 at 1:30 PMFeb 14, 2013 at 2:20 PM

PORTSMOUTH — U.S. Army Pfc. Michael Stricker walked off the plane at Portsmouth International Airport and was so overcome by the warm welcome from the Pease Greeters that he went up to Al Weston, airport maintenance manager and co-founder of the Pease Greeters, and handed him two small objects.

Suzanne Laurent

PORTSMOUTH — U.S. Army Pfc. Michael Stricker walked off the plane at Portsmouth International Airport and was so overcome by the warm welcome from the Pease Greeters that he went up to Al Weston, airport maintenance manager and co-founder of the Pease Greeters, and handed him two small objects.

One was a small flag folded into a triangle. The other was a tiny white plastic leprechaun.

“I brought the flag from home when I left,” Stricker said. “I found the leprechaun in a box in Afghanistan. I carried them around in my pocket even though my friends made fun of me.”

Stricker, who turned 20 during his tour last July 19, said he wanted to leave his lucky tokens at the airport and asked Weston to place them on the wall known as the Heroes' Walk.

“This was just an amazing greeting,” Stricker said.

This was just one of many personal stories that unfolded during the U.S. Army 232 Field Artillery Battalion's three-hour layover at the airport on its way to Fort Riley, Kan.

The Pease Greeters, 100-strong, did not disappoint. They cheered the 248 troops as they emerged and offered them coffee, doughnuts, stuffed animals, hardcover books and a bank of 16 phones to call anywhere in the world. About a dozen greeters brought along their canine companions that brought many smiles — and tears — from the soldiers.

Since it was Valentine's Day, the troops were serenaded by VIBE!, a quartet from the Sounds of the Seacoast. Dressed in red and black, music director Wendy McCoole was joined by Camille Duffy, Becky Christie and Sheila Gray in singing “You've Got A Friend in Me.” They received thunderous applause from their uniformed audience.

U.S. Army Specialist Karina Arreola of Phoenix, Ariz., was returning from her first tour overseas and she couldn't wait to get back home to see her 6-year-old daughter. She took a white stuffed teddy bear from the pile of toys to bring home.

“There were some tough conditions,” Arreola said of her time in Afghanistan. “It was very cold and we had to be careful driving around because there were a lot of IEDs (improved explosive devices) everywhere. We were always nervous.”

Some of the troops were surprised by family members who came to the airport. One was Cpl. Travis Souther, whose younger brothers, Trevor Souther, 13, and Dylan Games, 12, came with relatives.

Souther, 22, of Newburyport, Mass., thought he would be landing in Maine when he left Germany. As soon as he landed at Pease, he called his family. His wife, Marissa, is waiting for him back at Fort Riley, with their 2-week-old daughter Hayden, who will meet her dad for the first time.

1st Lt. Geoffrey Vantine, 23, texted his brother Nick Vantine, 27, when the plane landed. Nick Vantine, who works at Sig Sauer at Pease International Tradeport, came to greet him during the welcoming ceremony. Later, Vantine called his mother in Moretown, Vt.

“I won't get to see him again,” until April, Nick Vantine said.

The troops were overwhelmed by the welcoming greetings.

“This sure makes it better to be stuck here for three hours,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jake Stacy, who was one of four receivers of a sweatshirt signed by the Pease Greeters.

In the eight years since it was founded, the Pease Greeters has touched the lives of thousands of men and women in the Armed Forces. “We've welcomed home more than 100,000 troops,” said George Davidson, co-chairman of the greeters. “We've also given out more than 300,000 blue stars as a welcome back to American soil.”

The blue stars are cut from old flags about to be burned.

The group has either welcomed home or sent off 39 flights in January alone. And with no plans to ease up their efforts, the greeters need help. Charles Cove, chairman of the Pease Greeters, said the organization's funding has hit an all-time low. Over the years, it has maintained a steady stream of funding that has allowed them to treat every soldier the same.

For more about the Pease Greeters or to find out how to donate to the effort, visit www.peasegreeters.org.

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